Passion
by Rainbows R Bright
Summary: "I'll be up after I finish this chapter." She told the cold room, because he was already up the stairs. He left her in a cloud of Chanel #19 and  peppermint steam.
1. Cajun Shrimp

**Cajun Shrimp **

Draco Malfloy had been with Astoria for five years now. They were married right out of school. As Draco was now Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, he spent a lot of time away from home. Although, he and Astoria's relationship was strong as ever. At least that's what Astoria thought. Draco had never been one for settling down. The girl should have known that, but after his father was put in Azkaban and his mother had all but begged him to marry her it was all he could do. His mother had given everything she could for him, and had trusted his judgment when it could have hurt her, so now at twenty five he was tied down and wearing work robes every day of his life.

The cheating began a little over a year ago, when Hermione Granger pranced into the room in bright red high heels and a serious look on her face. She had grown over the years into a beautiful woman, and had caught his attention right away. Hermione was head of the Department of the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. She had her hands on her hips and a frown on her face as she straightened her blazer and set a file on his desk. The same know-it-all glint had been in her golden eyes as she demanded he send some people out to protect some poor dragon who she said was just "misunderstood".

When he calmly explained that that was her department, she stuttered and explained to him that it was only partly her department and that she couldn't exactly arrest someone and that she actually just didn't want to go alone. That had made him happy as he put his coat on and followed her out. Turned out that the person had bought the dragon and was threatening people who came in his yard with it. After a simple arrest and Hermione's quick wit to protect the dragon, she had called up Ron Weasley to transport it.

Once back at the office Hermione asked if he wanted to go out for coffee. He had accepted and that's how it had began. They started off as just coffee dates explaining why she wasn't married to Ron already and why he was married to Astoria. Ron had different goals than she did and he was forced into it out of guilt. She told him about Harry and Ginny and their beautiful children. Draco had to admit he was a little jealous of the golden boy. He was an auror and he was happily married. When Astoria had gotten pregnant she had a miscarriage and vowed to never have children again.

The coffee dates later moved onto more intimate dates at her flat. Lies were told to Astoria about why he was coming home later and later, and not once did she ask about the perfume that was on his lapel whenever he came home. She also didn't ask about the charge on his muggle account for the dress, or the shoes, or even the earrings. She kept silent, and sure he felt bad, but Hermione and Astoria were two different people. That's probably what attracted him to the brown headed girl in the first place.

"Draco? Are you even paying attention?" Said girl asked with a chuckle as she tilted her head and looked at him with her lips upturned. He shook out the thoughts in his head and turned to her. Her cheeks were tinged with blush and her eyes were lined with black making them look devilishly more attractive than he remembered. Studying her the cream colored dress clung to her skin in all the right places and the red heels she wore were a statement that many people noticed. Although, the people that noticed here had no idea who they were.

A shrimp passed from the little flute that it was delicately placed in and into her mouth. As Draco picked up the glass of champagne he downed the last half of it in one gulp and set it back on the clothed table. "I am paying attention darling." He told her with a slight smile. Leaning back in the chair he ran his sweaty hands along his dress pants. They were currently rendezvousing in a secluded muggle restaurant in Italy. They came here a lot and then went down to the hotel down the street. Yes, the people in muggle Italy knew them, but only by their faux names. Eloise and Matthew. A little ploy that would keep Astoria or the wizarding world for that matter, from finding out about their secret visits to each other.

"Someone is distracted tonight." Hermione lamented with pursed lips.

"I am fine." He responded passing a fork full of salad into his mouth. He watched as she set her champagne glass back on the table a ring of apple red lipstick clinging to the edge.

"Are you worried about Astoria again?" She asked with a delicately raised eyebrow. She always managed to know just exactly what was wrong with him. With a shake of his head he pushed some of the blonde hair away from his face and tilted his head slightly.

"It's nothing. She is out with Ginny tonight." The two had become friends through St. Mungo's. Co heads of floor six they had become rather close and spent many nights together when Draco wasn't home. So, really, she spent almost every night over there knitting or helping Ginny with the little ones. Draco wasn't the only one who wasn't home. Harry was over in America with Ron helping him with a dragon project and so the two women had found comfort with each other.

"Ah, I see. Then nothing to worry about?" She asked with a slight smirk. He hated that she could use that little pull of her pink lips against him. She had him wrapped around her finger, just like the sapphire ring that he had given her last week. It shone on her finger like a badge, although she never wore it to work. Only around him. It was disconcerting though he understood the reasoning behind it. She was a very professional woman and wouldn't dare ruin her reputation.

"Of course not." He told her with a reassuring smile. "You ready?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. Their relationship wasn't all about the intimacy that most adultered relationships were based off of. He was actually a gentleman and cared about her more than he cared about Astoria. More than he had cared about anyone, besides his mother of course. As Hermione removed herself from the chair and Draco put her jacket on her Draco left the money and a generous tip on the table before leading Hermione out of the restaurant and onto the rain covered sidewalk. The two walked in silence to the hotel. Hermione's small hand tucked into Draco's elbow and Draco perched in between them to keep them from getting drenched.

The usual hello's were presented as the two Italian's led them up to their room. Never questioning why they came and went in the same night. Most too afraid to ask questions.

"Are you sure you must go?" Draco asked as he placed a kiss beneath her ear. Hermione was re-pinning her dress and Draco was distracting her.

"I'm not the one who has to go. You are. You have a wife darling. I'll see you on Monday. Spend the weekend with Astoria. Make her happy." The "_Make love to her"_ was left unsaid. With a wink and a kiss on the cheek she apparated with a pop, leaving behind only smell of her perfume. Draco turned as she reappeared in the other room. "Forgot my shoes." She called dangling the bright red heels from her finger and disappearing again. He knew she was right, but he couldn't remember the last time he and Astoria spent the weekend together, but with it being a holiday there was no way he could just go into work and escape her. He was trapped and that was all there was to it.

In a swirl of black he reappeared at the gates of Malfloy manor. Heading up the steep drive he greeted Astoria with a kiss on the forehead. She was reading her usual romance novel and had a blanket draped over her knees with a cup of steaming peppermint tea in hand. "I'm heading to bed." He grunted. With a nod Astoria muttered I love you and Draco managed to get I love you too out before heading toward the stairs.

"I'll be up after I finish this chapter." She told the cold room, because he was already up the stairs. He left her in a cloud of Chanel #19 and peppermint steam.

**Words: ** 1,475

**Pairing: **Hermione/Draco

**Notes: **This is part one of three. I got the name of the title from a competition in the forum. The challenge was to get three to five names from OPI nail colors and base your fic off them. My first color is Cajun Shrimp, which is a bright coral red. I didn't do the competition, but kept the three names that I got. The three chapters of this fic probably won't flow. They aren't meant to. They are just glances into their days together, with the first one being more explanatory of how they got to where they are. Hope you like, please review(:


	2. Italian Love Affair

**Italian Love Affair. **

Draco stared at Hermione's pink lipgloss trying to process the words that were coming out of her mouth. "With Zabini?" A frown tugged his lips down and he tapped his fingers on his desk. The door was closed and Hermione was trying her best to keep her voice down. Draco on the other hand didn't mind the fact that his voice had raised a decibel when he hissed out his previous words. Hermione had crossed her arms over her chest and backed up slightly toward the door. She was surprisingly calm in this whole thing.

"Look, Draco, you aren't the only one who can cheat. It's not like you and I are even together. You didn't expect me to actually find a man? Plus we are just dating." As she spoke she lowered herself in the plush chair in front of his desk. Draco rose from behind the dark cherry wood and loomed over her casting a shadow. "You can't be mad. You're cheating on your _wife_." Hermione lamented, and she was right, but he still felt like it wasn't fair to him.

"Yes, but with Zabini?" Hermione raised a brown eyebrow delicately and sighed as she folded her hands in her lap. He wanted nothing more than to kiss the idea of dating Blaise out of her.

"So what does that mean for us?" He asked a nervousness etched in his voice as he went around the desk and propped himself against the front of it.

"It means that we will still have our nights together." She seemed almost bored, in Draco's eyes, with the whole ordeal. He didn't really know how he felt about this whole thing. She was completely right in the fact that he was cheating on his wife so he had no room to talk, but it still hurt him to see her with someone else, especially that Italian bloke Blaise Zabini.

Draco and Blaise had split ways the minute school was over. The boy had gone back to Italy to be with his mother and Draco was busy dealing with Astoria and trying to plan a wedding. They hadn't been very close at Hogwarts. Talking every now and then when there was no one else to talk to, and they played Quidditch together one year, but they had never really reached close friend status like everyone thought they had. Both boys were good at putting up appearances. It wasn't that he didn't like Blaise, he did, but he didn't like the fact that he might see his hands all over Hermione. It made him want to gag.

"I'm spending the weekend with him, so there will be no seeing you." Draco turned to her with heavy eyes the gray looking darker than normal. "You really have no place to be mad. When you break up with Astoria, I will break up with Blaise." The matter-of-fact tone in her voice left no room for any sort of emotion about the whole thing. Shaking his head Draco crossed his arms over his chest with a smirk.

"Home wrecker."

"Yes, Well… I have work to do and you have to think of a way to break it off with your wife." She told him with a pointed look. As Draco leaned in to kiss her before she left, she ignored him and headed to the door. Turning back she straightened her jacket and gave him a sly smile before dipping out of the room.

Hermione looked gorgeous as usual as she sat across from him. It had been exactly two weeks since they had been out together. After many invites, she finally agreed. She had been spending all her time with Zabini, as he had begun calling him, not deeming him fit to be called Blaise. Sure he was twenty five years old, but he still acted like a child. It was one of his many flaws.

When Draco had first met Hermione in school they had hated each other, everyone knew that. She made his blood boil. She was a stupid mudblood and he was better that her. Now, though, all school things aside they got along fine. A smile spread across her lips as she looked at him. He knew that look. It meant that she was planning something. "So we should go out next week." With a nod he lowered his lids.

"What are you planning Mione?" He asked with his voice on edge. Shaking her head the silky brown curls bounced as she took another drink of the wine. The red color tinged her lips as she looked at him.

"Oh, Nothing. I was just hoping that you and Astoria would have dinner with Blaise and I." He didn't say anything for a moment just sitting and staring at his food. Passing a napkin over his lips he crossed his arms over his chest.

"No."

"Why? Scared? You have to tell her. I'm done with this." Draco stared at her a moment with a blank expression.

"Absolutely not." Hermione shook her head and he watched as the hurt flashed across her face. She downed the rest of her drink and glared at him a moment before shaking her head.

"I guess I shouldn't have had high hopes. I'll be the other woman to the end won't I?" She asked with a raised eyebrow. He didn't know what to say to that. Watching her she set her napkin on the table and leave. She leaned close to him before she left. "Don't expect me to see you again anytime soon." She muttered before leaving him sitting there.

"Well fuck…" He muttered tossing his napkin on the table and quickly paying the waiter. She was already gone when he went out onto the street. Running a hand through his hair he groaned. It was all Blaise's fault. She never would have acted like this otherwise. He just wasn't going to accept the fact that maybe this was his fault.

_Tap tap tap tap._ The pen that was held between her long fingers was tapping on the desk incessantly as she looked over a new case. The manila folder laid open and the contents of it were scattered dismissively across the desk top. Hermione's office was on the fourth floor and the room was small. One window was behind her and the room was sort of dreary. A knock on her door had her hand stopping and as she rubbed her temples with both hands she balanced the pen between her thumb and pointer finger as she called out for them to come in.

Rolling her eyes she took a deep breath as she noticed Draco in the doorway. Raising a delicate eyebrow at him she folded the contents back into the folder and carefully tucked it into the filing cabinet. "What can I do for you Mr. Malfloy?" She never called him by his last name, but she felt it was necessary. She didn't want anything to do with him romantically until he stopped wearing that stupid band around his finger. It was like a big neon sign shouting at her to run far away. Pulling another file out of the drawer, she opened it as she turned pushing the drawer shut with her hip. The bone crunching noise of the squeaky metal groaned through the office as it slowly slid shut beneath her weight.

"Why aren't you speaking to me?" He asked with a raised eyebrow watching as she lowered herself into her chair and picked up the pen again. She began to tap it once more as she read. Too focused on what she was reading in the case file to listen to what he had to say.

"I am at work and any personal matters should be taken up at a time that is not now." She said matter-of-factly without removing her eyes from the paper that she found so interesting. The sound of the pen began to get on his nerves as he glared at her.

"What is your problem Hermione? You haven't been down to my office in days. I heard through one of the secretaries in the building that you've been leaving with Blaise each night. Mind telling me what's going on?" The room was beginning to get suffocating as his anger flashed to a blinding jealousy and then finally he towered over her desk placing his hand over hers to stop that incessant and annoying tapping. "Stop with the damn pen and look at me." What he meant to come out as a mutter came out more as a roar as she looked up at him with bored eyes.

"Look, I am working and you need to leave. Unless you need me for something important you need to go." She said dismissively as she pulled her hand away from his and continued the tapping motion on her desk. Turning away with shoulders slumped slightly in defeat he nodded and didn't say another word as he exited the room quietly.

Hermione sat across from Blaise staring at him as he spoke. She watched the way his lips moved and the way one hair fell across his forehead as he talked bouncing up and down each time he moved his head. She found all these little quirks that he had fascinating, but it just wasn't the same. Green eyes stared at her across from the table instead of grey and black hair poked out from his head instead of blonde. Frowning slightly she tried to listen to what he was talking about but she just didn't understand the politics that came with owning a winery.

Her food had been left untouched, by this point it was cold anyways and there would be no chance of her picking up her fork and eating it, but the waiter just wouldn't take it away and usher them closer to the end of this date. She had started going out with the boy to hopefully piss Draco off enough that he would break up with Astoria and come back to her bed, but no, the boy was a coward. That's what she thought anyways. He didn't even want to be with the poor woman, but he was practically forcing himself too. She then decided it would just be easier if she backed off and allowed the two to get to know each other a bit more. Maybe cause them to grow closer if she wasn't there pressuring him to do something that he would regret like break off a marriage. What was it he had said of her? Oh, right, _homewrecker_.

Girls never really thought that they would consider themselves home wreckers. _I'll never do that!_ They blindly tell themselves, and then they meet the man of their fantasies and hormones get in the way. Then suddenly they're the other girl. Sure, it made Hermione feel like trash for initiating it in the first place, but at least she was giving him the option to leave his wife, or for Hermione to back herself out of the picture.

Rolling her eyes as Blaise droned on and on about the fact that his sells weren't up enough and this employee was stealing from him and that and all this other nonsense Hermione discreetly text Draco under the table trying to make it look like she was paying at least some attention to the man sitting across from her. And people thought that men were bad. Women were even worse. Here she was stringing two men along like puppets without the slightest care in the world for who got hurt in the process of her getting what she wanted.

_Want to meet later tonight? x _Her thumbs glided easily over the keys as she hit send and waited for a response.

_Sorry babe, I'm with the wife tonight. Can't break away. Tomorrow? _Jealousy welled inside her clawing at her stomach as she stared at the glowing screen. She glanced up at Blaise and laughed lightly at something he said. She received a smile in return as she typed out and sent a simple;

_Yeah… Maybe…_

__**Words: **2,022

**Pairing: **Hermione/Draco, Draco/Astoria, and Hermione/Blaise

**A/N: **Here's another installment. I hope you guys like it. One more chapter and this trilogy will be done and i'll be starting on Astoria's point of view. Please Review (:


End file.
